Mr. Chair, I agree that we cannot do enough particularly when it comes to individuals who have sacrificed so much. I would be certainly proud, as he is, of the previous contributions that have been made including from his illustrious ancestor. That is so indicative of so many Canadians who have done so much including the recent generation.
With respect to post-traumatic stress disorder, every country, including ours, is still in a learning mode, but we have come a long way. We have stood up 19 joint personnel support centres across the country where there are, in essence, numerous officers made available to members of the Canadian Forces, their families and veterans. We have recognized that the issue around post-traumatic stress disorder is a genuine injury that must be treated.
We have also invested greatly in skilled mental health professionals and are working toward doubling those number of mental health professionals available to the military and their families. We have today over 370 full-time mental health professionals. We are working to hire more. We will continue to reach out to get the best care for patient to caregiver ratio.
We do work very closely with Veterans Affairs, as he has enquired, to ensure that the current generation and the former generation of military personnel will receive continuing care and that necessary care as we work with them. Currently, 646 Canadian Forces personnel suffer from PTSD, so we recognize that the challenges remain.